The Penn Stater Magazine

Greetings from Istanbul

April 29, 2011 at 11:03 pm Tina Hay 1 comment

One of many instances of Byzantine art preserved on the walls and ceilings of Chora Church in Istanbul.

We’re here! Eighteen other Penn Staters and I have arrived in Istanbul for the start of our “Legendary Turkey” trip. Some of us have a little sightseeing under our belts already, while others are just thrilled to have finally gotten here.

It’s a nine-hour flight from JFK, and some of the Penn State travelers first had to fly from their homes in Florida, Massachusetts, and elsewhere to JFK. The weather on the East Coast was a mess on Thursday and Friday, and flight delays caused some of our gang to miss their connections. So some of the travelers have spent a lot of time on airplanes and in airports in the past 48 hours—but they all seem cheerful about it and happy to be here.

A dozen of us who were able to get to Istanbul on Friday morning took advantage of an unscheduled first day to head over to the Chora Church—also called the Kariye Mosque or Chora Museum—in the city’s Edirnekapı region. (That’s OK, I can’t pronounce it either.) We got an unexpected bonus when our tour director from Odysseys Unlimited gave us a personal tour of the church, explaining the Byzantine frescoes and mosaics for which it’s famous. Then we had a little time to wander around and take photos.

Tour director Gokhan Ozagacli explains one of the mosaics at Chora.

Our tour director, by the way, is Gökhan Özağaçli, and one of my goals for the trip is to learn how to say his name. He explained that his first name roughly rhymes roughly with “Johann,” except that the first syllable is more like the “gher” in “gherkin.” So it’s a little like “GRR-kahn.” Though I could swear he sometimes says it “gee-YO-kahn.”

As for his last name, forget it. I’m taking things one step at a time here.

(He told us we could just call him “G” or “G.O.” if we wanted, but it seems too soon to give up like that.)

This morning we all gather for a “welcome briefing” from Gökhan, and then we head out to see Istanbul’s famous Grand Bazaar and its Egyptian Market (also called the Spice Bazaar), followed by a cruise on the Bosporus Strait, which I hear provides some great views of the city and its coastline.

Then this evening the Alumni Association offers a reception for the travelers. We’ll be joined by some locals who have Penn State ties—people who live in Turkey but have a degree from Penn State—which should be fun.

I’ve posted 10 photos from our first day on the Alumni Association’s Facebook page.

Tina Hay, editor

Entry filed under: Alumni Association. Tags: Chora Church, Gokhan Ozagacli, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Kariye, Legendary Turkey.